Schools
Photos: Orion School’s First Wellness Day a Success
From learning tae kwon do to eating healthy snacks, the students at Orion School learned the importance of nutrition and exercise.
When all their friends are doing it, it’s not difficult for students to love eating healthily and sprint during that last lap around the playground.
’s first annual Wellness Day promoted nutrition and exercise through several fun activities, causing children to forget that all this activity was “good for them.”
A team of eight parents, led by Nicole Sommerfeld, began organizing the Wellness Day a few months ago and plan to make this a regular event to promote awareness when tight budgets don’t allow for funding for this type of activity.
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“This was such a big hit!” Sommerfeld said. “Teachers are so strapped for resources that sometimes it takes parents to volunteer to host events like these.”
The kids took a genuine interest in learning about personal health, Sommerfeld said.
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Parent Diane Wakeham said this was exactly the encouragement her son needed to become more active.
“Exercise is definitely a communal activity,” she said. “And it’s working for my son.”
Activities included:
- Hip hop dance, taught by Community Street Jam
- Jogging exercise, led by Sequoia Hospital Health and Wellness
- Tae Kwan Do, by Hwa Rang Kwan
- Yoga, by Stretch/Play/Yoga
- Soccer drills, by Skyhawks Sports
- Activities table, Dairy Council of California
- Blood pressure/pulse reading, by California Neurohealth
- Jamba Juice smoothies, at $2 with 20 percent of sales benefitting Orion
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